The tech community has already lost so much in 2019. Google+, Amazon Dash buttons, Microsoft Bands. Now, we must bid adieu to Toshiba-branded laptops.
The PC business unit behind the hardware has rebranded itself as Dynabook. The move comes after Toshiba sold its PC business unit to Sharp, the Japanese display maker, which is owned by Taiwanese manufacturing giant Foxconn. Sharp nabbed it for a mere $36 million as Toshiba was still reeling from an accounting scandal, which forced it to also cut costs.
Sharp, which exited the PC business in 2010, can now jump back in, although growth in the market remains stagnant.
Toshiba's PC business unit decided on the rebranding in January since the Dynabook name, which has been used with its laptops, is well recognized in Japan. The US-based operation, Toshiba America Client Solutions, formally joined the effort today. It plans on releasing new products under the existing Portege and Tecra laptop sub-brands, as well as the DynaEdge mobile PC group.
On the same day, the company announced an upgraded Tecra A50-EC laptop model, which now comes with a USB-C port and facial-recognition camera for unlocking the system. Laptops in the A50 series, which feature a 15.6-inch display, have a starting price at $899.
The vendor's new products will also go beyond PC hardware. "We will continue to reinvent mobility, expand our IoT and AR Smart Glasses portfolios and deliver world-class support to help improve our customers' ability to work smarter and accomplish more," said Takayuki Tono, SVP for what's now called Dynabook Americas Inc.
Dynabook's other operations in Europe, Singapore, Canada, and Australia will also adopt the new brand name.